Turkish authorities release detained relatives of Russian ambassador killer

AYDIN

Turkish authorities have released the relatives of an off-duty policeman who assassinated Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andey Karlov, Doğan News Agency has reported on Dec. 22.

In an instant operation in his hometown of Söke district of the western province of Aydın, police had detained Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş’s mother, father, sister and three other relatives, after the 22-year-old policeman shot and killed Karlov on Dec. 19 at an art exhibition in Ankara. 

In their interrogation, Altıntaş’s father İsrafil, his mother Hamidiye, his stepsister Seher, his uncles Hüseyin Furuncu and Furuncu’s wife Sevinç and Hasan Furuncu said they were unaware of the assassination. The relatives were later released upon a prosecutor’s instruction. 

In a separate operation in the western province of İzmir, another six, including police officers and an official from the police academy where Altıntaş studied and alleged to have links to the Gülen movement, which is accused of orchestrating the July 15 coup attempt, have also been detained after the incident.

Their legal proceedings are ongoing.